Why brown candy matters

Rock star legend Eddie Van Halen became notorious for a clause in his contract forbidding the presence of brown M&Ms in the backstage candy bowl at his concerts. Here’s the flip side of that story and why it matters.

Celebrities have had all sorts of random requirements included in their contracts over the years. Aretha Franklin contractually insists that her hotel rooms must never be higher than the 5th floor, and that all air vents must be taped shut.

Though in the heyday of big hair rock and roll, Van Halen’s prohibition of brown M&Ms was particularly singled out with disgust as the classic example of rock stars run amok with infantile delusions of grandeur. Most of those critics never found out what you’re about to read.

Van Halen’s band traveled from venue to venue with a convoy of 9 semi trailers full of gear. (When was the last time you saw 9 semi trailers of anything?) Not surprisingly, their rider contract was dozens of typewritten pages long detailing the largest and tiniest technical requirements of their show, down to the amperage and placement of electrical outlets. The “M&M Clause” was placed in the middle of a contract so voluminous that it guaranteed any reader’s eyes to glaze over after the third page.

If the band rolled up to the next venue and found brown M&Ms in the backstage candy bowl, they immediately demanded a full line-item review of the entire rider contract. Eddie Van Halen specifically buried the M&M Clause, because concert promoters who don’t pay attention to one part of a contract usually don’t pay attention to the rest of it, and resulting technical issues could be disastrous, even deadly.

When it comes to editing, details matter. In fact, that’s what editing is – thousands of details. As the editor, it’s our job to take care of myriad details, decisions, and problems before they become problems.

I have a standing offer with any producer I work with – I say that if they ever find a misspelled graphic leaving my edit bay, I’ll buy them a steak dinner. It’s happened only once.

Now, chances are nobody’s going to go nuts if you put a track of music on audio channels 2 and 3 for a personal project. But part of editing professionally is learning the best practices for any given project, and sticking to them so everyone knows that they can hand things off to you and know it’s gonna be done excellently, and done right.

And when you’re that good, who knows? Maybe some day you’ll end up in a place where you can request the brown M&Ms removed from your candy dish.

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Praise for EDIT BETTER and Jeff Bartsch

Jeff is the real deal, and so is his take on the process. Even though the process can take years to grasp, let alone master, Jeff breaks it down in the most accessible fashion. Pay attention and you will not just learn how to edit better, but how to edit best.- Tom Costantino, Editor, Los Angeles, CA (credits include CSI: Miami, Survivor, and Mysteries of Laura, a new scripted drama starring Debra Messing)

Simply outstanding! A very easy read, clearly a professional's POV, and here's one of many things I love about it: even though I'd say I knew or practiced about 90% of what you've written, man, the 10% I didn't know or hadn't thought of the way you've presented it is unbelievably helpful. Anybody, from seasoned pro to newbie is going to find it very helpful. I'd even go so far as to describe it as essential reading for the 21st century editor. Please quote me on that. Lovin’ it, dude, you’re a badass!– Harold Houze Jr., Editor, Los Angeles, CA/New York, NY (credits on CBS, FOX, ESPN, MTV, many others)

Jeff is one of the most talented and trusted editors I have ever worked with. I think anyone considering the opportunity to learn from Jeff should leap at the chance.– Frank Sinton, Executive Producer/COO A. Smith & Co. Productions, Former VP Programming FOX Sports Net, Former VP Programming Disney Channel

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Praise for Edit Better

LOVING your book. It’s so refreshing to read a book about editing and not Avid vs. Final Cut. – Jeremiah Daws, Freelance Editor, Los Angeles, CA

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I'm only half way through, but I wanted to give it a glowing review thus far. It's a wealth of great information. This book has already given me my monies worth. Thanks, Jeff. –Earl Martin, Writer/Director, Watertown, WI

Got my signed copy of "Edit Better" on display in my office. I've already had one teacher thumb through it and decide she needs to buy her own copy...it's that good! –Ed Zimmerle, Media Producer and Consultant, Fort Dodge, IA

The amount of knowledge Jeff has and the way that he communicates it instantly makes your editing prowess that much better. The information Jeff gives from experience is usually found in conversations with editors in edit bays, not readily available in text.– James Gregg, Freelance Editor/Videographer, Linden, NJ